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Hi! I have a question on the 24 scenes require for a grand argument story. After searching the message boards, I see that 24 comes from the six possible pairs of the four elements in each of the four throughline's problem quad.

In some instances in my story (a novel,) there is no direct interaction between characters containing opposing, dependent, or companion elements, because they never meet or communicate. For example, the Protagonist Actuality element is illustrated in MC Signpost One, while the contrasting Antagonist Perception element is shown in OS Journey Two.

As a real-life example, the environmentalist seldom meets or directly communicates with the owner of an off-shore drilling company, though they may be paintiff and defendant in a law suit. The environmentalist may see the effects of drilling in a pristine lake on day one but the oil company executive may only become aware of the problem and its effects on the bottom line after the lawsuit is filed, much later.

Is the contrasting of opposing elements in this way an acceptable Dramatica approach? If not, why not?

Thanks!

Absolutely. Characters need not be present to have their effects demonstrated or interacted with others. Your court example illustrates this point well.

It is the interaction of the ELEMENTS that is important, not the characters that embody them. That is why you can have "hand-offs" of character functionality from one player to another. Structurally-speaking, it is the interaction of the elements that is important (the message), not so much the messenger. Storytelling-wise, it may seem to be the reverse (in terms of imporatance to the audience).

FYI, here are some Dramatica tips for scene creation to look beyond the 24 Scenes you mentioned:

http://www.dramatica.com/theory/tip_of_month/tips/tip0308.html

http://www.dramatica.com/theory/tip_of_month/tips/tip0108.html